#afroavian

Eurasian Hoopoe by Jaiprakashsingh, CC BY-SA 3.0 

Etymology: Hoopoe

First Described By: Linnaeus, 1758

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Coraciimorphae, Cavitaves, Eucavitaves, Picocoraciae, Bucerotiformes, Phoeniculidae, Upupidae

Referred Species: U. africana (African Hoopoe), U. antaios (Saint Helena Hoopoe), U. epops (Eurasian Hoopoe), U. marginata (Madagascan Hoopoe)

Status: Extinct - Extant, Least Concern

Time and Place: Between 12,000 years ago and today, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

Hoopoes are known from all over the Eastern Hemisphere 

Physical Description: Hoopoes are extremely distinctive birds! They have very long, thin, and curved bills that extend out greatly from their heads, and huge crests on their heads that are easily spotted. They have long, thin bodies, and feet built for perching. THeir wings are very square-ish, and they have shorter tails than other birds. However, their coloration is decidedly where they are most distinctive of all. They have bright orange heads, with orange crests - but the crests end in very slight white bandings and then black tips. Their bodies are orange, but their wings and rumps and tails are black and white striped all over! They are such beautiful, distinctive birds. The shades of orange can differ in brightness or redness based on species (for example, the African Hoopoe tends to be redder than the Eurasian Hoopoe), but they do tend to be overall similar to one another in appearance. Living species range between 19 and 32 centimeters long; the extinct Saint Helena Hoopoe, though it had smaller wings, probably could have reached 36 centimeters long.

Madagascan Hoopoe by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Diet: Hoopoes primarily feed on insects, especially larvae, though some larger animals are also fed upon by these animals. 

Common Hoopoe by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Behavior: Hoopoes are very curious, adventurous birds, spending a lot of their time foraginging on the ground - they’ll dig with their bills into soft earth, using them to turn over leaves and probing into the mud and dung for insects and other invertebrates. They’ll even use their bills to prise off the bark from trees, or forage for insects in lichen! Sometimes, these birds also smash their food against the ground to They’ll usually forage in pairs or alone, spending a lot of their days looking for food. Some Hoopoes - especially the Madagascan Hoopoe - will forage in even slightly larger groups, of up to six individuals. Fascinatingly, Hoopoes have their own version of Penicillin - Anting! They’ll find piles of ants and roll around in them, allowing the ants to cover their feathers. The ants then secret substances that will kill bacteria, fungi, and other insects - protecting the Hoopoe (and other birds that Ant) from illness! These birds also take dust and sand baths to clean themselves; they’ll also sunbathe by spreading out their wings and tail low to the ground and tilting their heads up! 

Madagascan Hoopoe by Charles J. Sharp, CC By-SA 4.0 

Hoopoes are distinctive in one very special way that lead to its name - their voice! They literally make calls that sounds like “hoo-poo-poo” and “hoop-oop hoop-oop” - leading to the name, Hoopoe, as well as the genus  name, Upupa, and the species name of the Eurasian species, epops. Interestingly enough, the Madagascan Hoopoe does not make this sound - but rather, more cooing sounds, like doves. These birds will also make harsh, scolding calls, trills, and hisses, depending on the situation. The females and males will communicate primarily in trilling sounds while watching out for their nests. These birds are often sedentary, not migrating over long distance, but northern populations usually do come south in the winter to avoid colder climates, creating a variety of populations with very distinctive seasons and migrational patterns from one another within the species. 

Saint Helena Hoopoe by Apokryltaros, CC BY 2.5 

Hoopoes are monogamous each breeding season (which varies throughout the year as Hoopoes live all over the Eastern Hemisphere), forming strong pair bonds (that only last for that period of time). Males make very frequent calls to establish their territories, and they often fight with each other very brutally - including stabbings that can leave their opponents blinded. Females will then mate with the winners of these contests, and together they make nests out of holes in trees and walls with very narrow entrances. They usually aren’t lined with much. The female then incubates the egg, while the male defends her and the nest. Clutch size tends to depend on location, varying between 4 and 12 eggs per nest. They are incubated for nearly three weeks. At hatching, the chicks are very white and fluffy after a few days, and the crest develops after two weeks. The chicks are able to leave the nest after about a month, though they still stick with their families for a little while. Sometimes, when males defeat each other and replace each other in the mated pair, they will kill the offspring of the replaced male. Females can produce foul-smelling liquid, as do the babies, to protect themselves from predators - since they smell like rotting meat, they can fend off meat-eaters and parasites, and potentially fend off bacteria. Chicks in the nests also are able to literally poop at intruders, helping them to protect themselves! After leaving the nest, they stay with the parents for another week as they gain their bearings; they then become sexually mature between ages one and two. 

Eurasian Hoopoe by Frank Vassen, CC By 2.0 

Ecosystem: Hoopoes live mainly in open country - pastures, orchards, steppe, dry savanna, wooded savanna, short grassland, and bare ground. They congregate near scattered, isolated trees for their roosting and nesting. They do need perches and shade, but they want the trees they get these services from to be rare in the environments - so they can go down to the ground to get their food! They are fed upon by herons, falcons, and many other birds of prey. 

African Hoopoe by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0 

Other: Most hoopoes are not currently threatened with extinction - they are extremely common, widespread birds, that are even protected in many localities (being highly venerated in many cultures - it’s even mentioned extensively in the Quaran - and made the national bird of Israel; it is also considered a pest controller and thus is protected on that front also. Some local populations, such as those in Morocco, are more threatened due to local practices (such as selling them for medicine), but overall they seem to be doing well. In fact, there are probably as many as 10 million Hoopoe around today, if not more. Still, in more northern countries such as Germany they are more endangered, primarily due to changes in habitat, hunting, and human activity giving pressure to the populations. The numbers in Madagascar are slightly vulnerable too, given forest clearance. Hoopoes are closely related to the Hornbills! 

Saint Helena Hoopoe by Scott Reid 

Species Differences: The four species primarily differ based on location: The African Hoopoe is found in Africa; the Eurasian Hoopoe is found in Eurasia; the Madagascan Hoopoe is known from Madgascar: and the late Saint Helena Hoopoe - now extinct - was known from the island of Saint Helena off the coast of Africa! The Saint Helena Hoopoe differed from the other species in other ways, too - it had smaller wings, was somewhat larger, and was probably flightless! A giant flightless Hoopoe! And, like most large flightless birds of the recent past, it went extinct due to human activity on the island - this time, sometime in the 1500s.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut 

By Michael Gwyther-Jones, CC BY 2.0

Etymology: Berenice’s Bird

First Described By: Bonaparte, 1850

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Coraciimorphae, Cavitaves, Eucavitaves, Picocoraciae, Bucerotiformes, Bucerotidae, Bucerotidae

Status: Extant, Endangered

Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The White-Crowned Hornbill lives on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo 

Physical Description: The White-Crowned Hornbill looks exactly like what you would think: it is a hornbill, with a giant tuft of white feathers on the top of its head! It ranges between 75 and 80 centimeters in body length, with a large grey bill and flat plateau on the top of the bill called the horn. The feathers on the head are primarily white in the males and black on the females, but both have white crowns on the top of the head. Bare blue patches surround their eyes. The females then continue to be black all over except for the tail, which is long and white. The males have white underbellies and grey legs, but black backs and wings like the females. Juveniles are all black and more dull than the adults.

Diet: White-Crowned Hornbills feeds primarily on other animals such as insects, snakes, lizards, and small birds, though it will also eat a variety of fruits like drupes and figs. 

By Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 3.0

Behavior: These hornbills will forage among the tangled growth of their evergreen forest homes, usually close to the ground or in lower levels of the trees; they spend a lot of time digging in the bark and in debris for animals. They will stay in one place their whole lives and are quite territorial; they tend to make owl-like hooting calls back and forth to warn away other hornbills from their territory. They tend to lay eggs regardless of season, with nests known throughout the year; groups of three to eight birds will work together to create cooperative nests for one dominant female. Two eggs are laid, but one chick is raised by this small family. The female will seal herself in the nest hole, blocking herself with droppings and mud, and the family will bring food until the chicks are able to fly, when the female breaks the wall.

Ecosystem: White-Crowned Hornbills live primarily lowland evergreen rainforests, though it can be found in adjacent human-made plantations.

Other: These birds are endangered primarily due to very few individuals being found in certain areas - it seems to be vulnerable to habitat destruction and hasn’t been counted very well to allow for conservation efforts to be effective in the past. They are rarely observed and easily overlooked in their ranges.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

Southern Ground Hornbill by Neil McIntosh, CC BY 2.0 

Etymology: Hornbill Crow

First Described By: Lesson, 1830

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Coraciimorphae, Cavitaves, Eucavitaves, Picocoraciae, Bucerotiformes, Buceroti, Bucorvidae

Referred Species: B. brailloni, B. leadbeateri (Southern Ground Hornbill), B. abyssinicus (Abyssinian/Northern Ground Hornbill)

Status: Extinct - Extant, Vulnerable

Time and Place: From about 12 million years ago, in the Serravallian of the Miocene, through today 

Ground Hornbills are known from across the entire African continent 

Physical Description: Ground Hornbills are truly impressive living dinosaurs, large in body and bulky in form. They can reach up to 100 centimeters in length, weighing as much as 6 kilograms. They are black over most of their bodies (leading to their being named for crows and ravens, which they are not closely related to at all), with grey legs and grey bills. They also have grey crests on the tops of their heads. Their heads feature bright coloration which is distinguished from the rest of the body - red patches, blue patches, yellow bits, and wattles, which vary from species to species. The undersides of their wings are white, and they have short and thin tails. Called hornbills for their very large, pointed beaks, these bills make up a major chunk of their heads. They also, interestingly enough, have eyelashes on their eyes to aid in protecting them. The juveniles are somewhat brown, and they become more black in color as they age. 

Northern Ground Hornbills by Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Diet: Ground Hornbills primarily feed upon arthropods such as insects, spiders, and scorpions. They also feed upon other invertebrates like snails, and larger prey such as snakes, lizards, small mammals, and carrion. Though they have been recorded feeding upon berries, they are primarily carnivorous. 

Southern Ground Hornbill by Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Behavior: Ground Hornbills are extremely fascinating creatures, able to fly but spending most of their time on the ground searching for sources of food. They will move slowly and carefully, searching around for prey that then is picked up with their large bill, very carefully and in a picky fashion from the ground. They forage in small groups - with a mate, or with their offspring. They rarely gather in large groups, usually only when food is especially abundant. They’ll even dig into the ground or poop looking for food. When large prey is found, groups will gather and attack it together, dismembering it as a team. These are extremely vocal birds, making low-pitched hoots at each other often at two different pitches. They will make softer hoots when snuggling with each other, and deep alarm grunts. They are often known to call for long periods of time. They do not migrate, but do wander about; juveniles will stay where their parents lived for many years.

Northern Ground Hornbill by Sakari A. Maaranen, CC BY 3.0 

The Ground Hornbills are cooperative breeders - the dominant pair will be assisted by juvenile and younger adult helpers, all defending the nesting territory fiercely. Males will prepare their nests in large tree cavities, sometimes in rock holes or baskets - they will line the hole with dry leaves, and not seal the entrance. Two to three eggs are laid and incubated for two months by the dominant female of the group. Upon hatching, the group members will feed the babies together, but usually the second or third eggs don’t survive - either the eggs don’t hatch, or the chicks starve to death. The chicks stay in the nest for three more months, and the juveniles stick with their families for a little while after hatching. They tend to reach sexual maturity between six and seven, but they don’t usually breed for the first time until later. They also tend to breed only once every three years - a rarity for birds. The birds can live for a very long time - in captivity, they’ve been seen living for up to 40 years. 

Southern Ground Hornbill by Lip Kee, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Ecosystem: Ground Hornbills live in a variety of habitats, across woodland and savanna, as well as grassland patches. The Southern Ground Hornbills live in more moist habitats than the Northern Ground Hornbills. They are often fed upon by large carnivores such as leopards, and can be a host for a wide variety of parasites and diseases. 

Northern Ground Hornbill by Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Other: All living Ground Hornbills are recorded as being vulnerable to extinction at this time. Despite being extremely widespread, they are sparse across their range. This sparseness makes it harder for them to find others of their species and mate with them. They are often hunted and killed, or even murdered as a bringer of bad luck in some cultures. Ground Hornbills also break window panes and are killed for that, in addition to being killed for being a harbinger of drought. Habitat loss also greatly contributes to their decline in population. They do live in several national parks, and there are conservation efforts to aid in its reproduction, using the abandoned eggs to raise more of the birds. Reintroduction, however, is more difficult than anticipated. 

Southern Ground Hornbill by Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0 

Species Differences: The Northern Ground-Hornbill is known from Central Africa, and features blue patches on its face with a yellow bit in the front. Males have red additions to their throat wattles. The Southern Ground-Hornbill, on the other hand, is all red, with no yellow or blue to be found. They are also found in southern Africa. In addition to all of this, the Northern Ground-Hornbill is somewhat lighter in weight than the Southern Ground-Hornbill. The extinct species, B. brailloni, was from much more north - in Morocco - and was much older, as well as a little smaller, than its living relatives. 

Northern Ground Hornbill by Noel Reynolds, CC BY 2.0 

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

By Scott Reid

Etymology: Bird with a Giant Claw

First Described By: Arredondo, 1954

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Strigiformes, Strigidae

Referred Species: O. oteroi, O. minor, O. gigas, O. acevedoi

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 126,000 and 12,000 years ago, in the Tarantian of the Pleistocene 

Ornimegalonyx was found throughout the island of Cuba during the last Ice Age

Physical description: Ornimegalonyx was a very large owl, literally reaching 1.1 meters in height - the size of many shorter people (and children). It was this tall due to having ridiculously long, skinny legs - ending in sharply-clawed feet. It was very bulky and had a short tail, and fairly stubby wings - it probably couldn’t fly. If it did fly, Ornimegalonyx would have only done so when necessary, much like living turkeys. It was a strong runner, though it could use its legs for other purposes as well. In general, it resembled its living relatives in appearance a lot - creatures such as the Spotted and Barred Owls. Like other owls, it had its eyes facing forward, a sharply curved beak, and a very round looking head. It probably weighed as much as 9 kilograms.

Diet: Ornimegalonyx would have primarily fed upon very large rodents the size of modern capybaras, and ground sloths.

Behavior: Ornimegalonyx, as a large predatory bird, would have spent most of its time running about in its environment to catch its large mammalian prey - much like the Terror Birds it resembled across the ocean (and… a few million years in the past). It would have been able to chase after prey, though it would also utilize ambush to pounce on the food, trapping it beneath its feet. It also could hide within the trees, rather than just on the ground, in order to catch food. When flying, it would use its ridiculously long legs to help get off of the ground, taking powerful short bursts to get to wherever it was going. As an owl, Ornimegalonyx probably took care of its young, though its mating strategies and other social behavior are unknown. 

By Stanton F. Fink, CC By-SA 2.5

Ecosystem: Cuba during the Ice Age was a weird place, filled with a number of large and even flightless versions of birds we know today - Ornimegalonyx was just one of many. There was a giant snipe, Gallinago kakuki; the Cuban Cave-Rail, Nesotrochis picapicensis; the flightless crane Grus cubensis; a stork, Mycteria wetmorei; the Giant Asphalt Stork Ciconia maltha; a giant teratorn, Oscaravis; the Cuban Condor Gymnogyps varonai; the Cuban Giant-Hawk Gigantohierax; Borras’ Eagle-Hawk Buteogallus borrasi; a giant bird of prey, Amplibuteo; the Bahaman caracara Caracara creightoni; the Cuban Kestrel Falco kurochkini; the Cuban Pauraque Siphonorhis daiquiri; the Cuban Horned Owl Bubo osvaldoi; the Noel’s Barn-Owl Tyto noeli; another Barn Owl, Tyto pollens; and Craves’s Giant Barn-Owl, Tyto cravesae. In terms of prey for Ornimegalonyx, there were a variety of giant rodents present like Heteropsomys, Capromys, Geocapromys and Macrocapromys; as well as ground sloths like Miocnus and Megalocnus. Cuba at this time was a bit more arid, and larger in size, but overall similar to today in terms of flora.

Other: Ornimegalonyx is so weird, that the original describers actually thought it might have been a Terror Bird (albeit a small one), rather than a big owl! This misidentification was rectified a few years after its description. Multiple complete skeletons have been found of this genus, emphasizing its owl nature. It probably was most closely related to owls such as the Spotted Owl, Himalayan Owl, Tawny Owl, and the Barred Owl.

Species Differences: The different species of Ornimegalonyx were all contemporaries of one another; they seemed to mainly differ based on the lengths of their legs, with some species (such as O. minor) having shorter legs than others. Meanwhile, O. gigas was actually much bigger than the other species, with wider legs to compensate. These differences in size would have allowed the varying species of Ornimegalonyx to feed on different animals in its environment, exploiting slightly different niches across the genus. Still, it is entirely possible that all these different sizes only represent differences in sexual dimorphism and age, and thus it is in need of considerable revision.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

By Lars Peterson

Etymology: Reinwardt’s Woodpecker

First Described By: Temminick, 1825

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Coraciimorphae, Cavitaves, Eucavitaves, Picocoraciae, Picodynastornithes, Piciformes, Picides, Picidae, Megapicini

Status: Extant, Least Concern

Time and Place: Since 10,000 years ago, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The Orange-Backed Woodpecker is known from Southeast Asia and Oceania 

Physical Description: These are fairly large woodpeckers, reaching up; to 30 centimeters in length. They look like other woodpeckers, of course - with somewhat round bodies, long thin necks, round heads, and long pointed beaks. Their feet are zygodactylous, with two toes forward and two toes backward. They also have small tails. In general, they have a variety of orange and brown hues in terms of plumage, though they differ based on sex. Males tend to have orange crests, necks, and stomachs; they also have bright orange stripes on the wings. Females are brown in those places, except on the wings, where the orange stripes are a bit more dull. The bulks of their wings are dark brown and their tails are also dark brown. They have white patches on the front of their backs. Their bills, which are pale colored, are slightly curved.

Diet: Orange-backed Woodpeckers feed mainly on beetle larvae, termites, caterpillars, ants, and other insects. 

By Jean Gabriel Pretre, in the Public Domain 

Behavior: These woodpeckers will live in families or mated pairs, foraging together in low and middle parts of trees. They will mainly attack rotting logs, dead stumps, and soft tree trunks - even fines from time to time. They peck and hammer loudly and forcefully to get the wood away to reveal the food, spending minutes to excavate the tasty food inside. They’ll then reach in with their long tongues (which wind around their heads) to grab the food. They don’t tend to move a lot to get food, but prefer to stick in specific locations. They will make loud, ringing calls to each other as they feed, sometimes with more rattling and irregular calls as well. They also make very excited “cha-cha-cha” calls when finding members of the family. Their bursts of digging in wood, however, are very short and loud. They breed from January through September, displaying to their mate with raises of the crest, directs of the bill, and wing flicks and spreads. They build nest holes through excavation a little high up in a dead tree, and they lay one to two eggs. The parents will feed the babies directly - they do not regurgitate. They also do not migrate. 

By Mike Prince, CC BY 2.0 

Ecosystem: Orange-Backed Woodpeckers primarily live in evergreen rainforest and in coastal vegetation. They tend to stick to lowlands, rather than getting particularly high up into the mountains, though they can be found there from time to time.

Other: Orange-Backed Woodpeckers are not threatened with extinction; though they are uncommon in most of their range, they are more common in Sumatra and Borneo.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

By Ripley Cook 

Etymology: Barbet from the Rupelian

First Described By: Mayr, 2005

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Coraciimorphae, Cavitaves, Eucavitaves, Picocoraciae, Picodynastornithes, Piciformes, Pici, Ramphastides?

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 31 and 30 million years ago, in the Rupelian of the Oligocene of the Paleogene 

Rupelramphastoides is known from the Bott-Eder Grube-Unterfeld Quarry of Baden-Württemberg, Germany 

Physical Description: Rupelramphastoides is the oldest known barbet-like bird - the barbets being a group of tree-dwelling birds that includes the iconic Toucans, though most barbest don’t have nearly as impressive beaks. This bird resembled its modern relatives in a lot of ways, which is notable given how old it is (still in the Paleogene, aka the first period of the time of modern birds). However, it is also one of the smallest members of the group overall, with very long and slender bones in its foot like modern toucans. Still, it had a small beak - more like non-toucan barbets - and a much smaller size than the living toucans. It had long and narrow arm bones but shorter fingers, giving the wings a more squat appearance at the ends. In general, its legs were slender, as were its toes, so perhaps Rupelramphastoides represents a transitional form between most barbets and the very weird toucans, though this is just conjecture. It probably wouldn’t have gotten much longer than 9 centimeters in overall body length, and it had a small head with a robust triangular beak.

Diet: It is uncertain what Rupelramphastoides ate, but like living barbets and toucans it probably mainly ate fruit, with mainly some supplementing of its diet with insects.

Behavior: Rupelramphastoides would have probably spent most of its time in the trees, hopping around and walking from branch to branch in search of food. It then probably would have stretched about to try and get food, using its beak to chomp into berries and other fruits. It could also use its long and skinny legs to stand up tall and reach food that it couldn’t otherwise. It probably lived in small flocks rather than big ones, and took care of their young. They also probably didn’t migrate. Like other members of the Pici, it was probably at least somewhat brightly colored, and used color in display to one another.

By Scott Reid

Ecosystem: Rupelramphastoides lived in a coastal/bay area, filled with estuaries and streams leading out into the ocean. This was a very lush habitat, filled to the brim with plants from algae ferns and cycads; to conifers, palms, roses, asterids, beeches, oaks, and cypresses. This dense coastal forest transitioned into water-based plants, and its possible there was some sort of a coastal swamp (a proto-mangrove swamp, even?) in the area. This is fascinating as this habitat existed just at the time of the global rainforest collapse, and the transition of the world into more varied and arid habitats - clearly, this particular coastal swamp was not hit by this event. Dozens of kinds of fish lived here, including things like trumpetfish, boarfishes, eels, ladyfish, sea robins, rockfish, shrimpfish, pipefish, sailfin moonfishes, halfbeaks, sea breams, weevers, and so many others that I just have to stop now. There were sharks and rays present as well, though not in as much diversity as the ray-finned fish. Insects such as beetles, flies, and butterflies were present, as well as spiders, crustaceans, snails, slugs, clams, oysters, and other invertebrates. Plenty of turtles were also present. Mammals were rarer in this habitat, but included extinct relatives of modern sea cows and bats; and a predatory Hyaenodont named Apterodon. Many different kinds of dinosaurs lived here alongside Rupelramphastoides, including the early hummingbird Eurotrochilus, the buttonquail Turnipax, the tody Palaeotodus, the (rare example of a) fossilized songbird Wieslochia, the mousebird Oligocolius, the trogon Primotrogon, the loon Colymboides, and the seabird Rupelornis that vaguely resembled modern albatrosses and petrels. In short, you could see a wide variety of ocean-going and tree-dwelling birds, as one would expect in a forested esturary area, and Rupelramphastoides probably mostly had to worry about predation from they Hyaenodonts in the area, rather than other birds.

Other: The exact phylogenetic affinities of Rupelramphastoides are very murkey, because a phylogenetic analysis has never been done on this dinosaur. Morphologically speaking it seems to be somewhere in the Barbet-Toucan clade, with similarities to both non-toucan barbets and the toucans, but it also has traits of other members of Pici such as the honeyguides, piculets, and woodpeckers, and so it can’t really be confirmed as a member of Ramphastides for now.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

By Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Etymology: Short-Winged

First Described By: Lafresnaye, 1834

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Afroaves, Coraciimorphae, Cavitaves, Eucavitaves, Picocoraciae, Picodynastornithes, Coraciiformes, Brachypteraciidae

Referred Species: B. langrandi (Ampoza Ground Roller), B. leptosomus (Short-Legged Ground Roller)

Status: Extinct - Extant, Vulnerable

Time and Place: Within the last 12,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary, through today 

These ground rollers live entirely on the island of Madagascar 

Physical Description: The living Short-Legged Ground Roller is a round bird, with a decently sized tail and a distinctive puffy throat. These birds are fairly large, ranging from 30 to 38 centimeters in length. These are the largest rainforest ground-rollers, making them extremely unique in terms of dinosaur morphology and ecology correlation. They have sharp, dark beaks, and lightly colored legs - which are short and skinny. Their bellies and necks and rumps are white, but the necks and bellies and chests have brown speckling as well. The heads of the Short-Legged Ground Roller are chestnut brown, with white spotting and a white stripe above the eye. They have light brown and green backs, with green and brown wings. Their tails are fairly short, and light brown as well. Patterning is all over this bird, making it very distinctive to look at; the females are only slightly smaller than the males; and the juveniles differ by being duller in color. The Ampoza Ground Roller, presumably, looked similar, though little is known about its biology. 

By Frank Vassen, CC BY 2.0 

Diet: Short-Legged Ground Rollers - and most rollers - primarily feed on invertebrates, though they will also eat small lizards, snakes, frogs, and bird eggs.

Behavior: Ground rollers are usually more ground-laiden than the Short-Legged Ground Roller, which is the most arboreal member of this group - it spends a decent amount of time foraging in the canopy during the morning, before switching to more ground hunting during the afternoon and twilight. It will perch, completely motionless, for long periods of time, looking for prey. Then, it will strike extremely fast in order to catch its food. It will rfulle its feathers and flick its wings while pumping its tail in anticipation of the hunt. They usually grab prey from tree trunks and in foliage, though sometimes food is taken off the ground and in the leaf litter. They also will catch insects by grabbing them from their perches. They kill their food by hitting it against a branch and squeezing it with the tip of the bill, and then swallowing it whole. Presumably, the late Ampoza Ground Roller had similar feeding habits. 

By Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0 

The Short-Legged Ground Roller makes single, deep “boob” calls, sort of owl-like, that are repeated every 1 to 5 seconds for four minutes. Descending calls of “doodoodoo” often follow rapidly for a few seconds. They also make more churring calls during sunrise, accompanied by distinctive head-bobbing. They make kroo-kroo and other calls when finding each other, as well as purring and squawking during courtship. They are very secretive, however, and it’s difficult to catch these behaviors in the wild. It doesn’t migrate, but it is territorial, guarding over a large range for a mated pair. 

By Frank Vassen, CC BY 2.0 

Short-Legged Ground Rollers begin courtship and copulation in October, continuing through January; nests are built in December, which is also when eggs are laid. The nests are made in tree cavities or root masses, made of earth and foliage. The female lays one to two white eggs, which are incubated primarily by her; the male will bring his family food. The young hatch after about a month, and then leave the nest after another month.

Ecosystem: Short-Legged Ground Rollers live in humid rainforest habitat in lowland to middle altitudes, usually in the denses and darkest forests with very large trees. They are rarely found in open habitats with degraded trees. Their nests are vulnerable to parasitism and predation by bees. 

By Mariusba, CC By-SA 3.0 

Other: Short-Legged Ground Rollers, despite being considered fairly common, are vulnerable to extinction primarily due to rapid habitat loss and some hunting. Interestingly enough, habitat loss - a transition from rainforest to arid climate - is the reason for the Ampoza Ground Roller’s extinction, pointing to the Short-Legged Ground Rollers being extremely vulnerable to such a condition themselves.

Species Differences: The Ampoza Ground Roller is not only extinct, but found on the western side on the island; the Short-Legged Ground Roller is alive and mostly found on the eastern side.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut